The Hardliner

So S. is in the middle of a defiant streak, and I am sick to death of yelling at her. Mr. W. is sick to death of yelling at her. She's sick to death of being yelled at. L.'s sick to death of listening to all the yelling.

The yelling ensues after S. has ignored one or both of us when instructed to do such things as:

• Stop kicking mommy's seat
• Don't push L.
• Sit up at the dinner table and leave your feet alone
• Sit down!
• Use your indoor voice
• No screaming!

Mr. W. was at his wits end this evening and went into full-fledged lecture mode while S. sat on her bed essentially doing her level best to continue ignoring him. Since he sounded like he was going to take a flying leap into full-fledged rant, I offered to take over putting S. to bed. All she had left to do was go to the bathroom to get her teeth brushed and then pick out a couple stories for me to read. She ignored instructions to come to the bathroom, and after ample warning, I put her stick horse (a favored possession) in timeout. Her first Nemo blanket and her Pooh blanket followed before she finally came to the bathroom.

After a bout of crying and hysteria, she finally settled down for a toothbrushing and then climbed in to bed relatively quietly. She's hopped out of bed twice, and has remained only upon the promise that her horse pillow would join her other toys currently in timeout.

I'm really tired of the constant battle of wills right now.

In a way, I worry less about S.'s future behavior because of her stubborness. She will never just go with the crowd. On the other hand, I feel a big responsibility to make sure she learns to behave well. She will be the sort to want to coerce others to her bidding.

M.W.